This week we lost both David Eddings and David Carradine. One to natural causes and one…less so. Tragic losses in both cases. Carradine in particular, reportedly having hung himself just as he was about to start a new film.
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This week we lost both David Eddings and David Carradine. One to natural causes and one…less so. Tragic losses in both cases. Carradine in particular, reportedly having hung himself just as he was about to start a new film.
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Very sad. I watched Kung-Fu as an alienated adolescent, and I loved it. I was always surprised at how different Mr. Carradine was from the role he played.
I grew to appreciate the varied parts he acted as I got older.
I’m sorry to see him go.
David Eddings’ death hit me really hard. Simply reading his books and realizing how much you could humanize a character even in a fantasy realm improved my writing 100%. His characters are very dear to me and I wish I’d gotten to tell him so.
Along those lines, Peter, thank you for Apropos and Liandra. My two favorites out of all your characters.
I am saddened by both of their deaths. That said, please be careful. I would prefer that you not become a part of some morbid “hat trick.”
I too was (still am) a fan of the Kung-Fu series and of course Death Race 2000, Lone Wolf McQuade (?), and Kill Bill.
Not the way I thought he would leave this mortal coil especially NOW at 72. Perhaps back in the day, by his own admission, during interviews he gave about his life style back then.
While I will reserve a proper comment until all the details emerge – that said – this is, without a doubt, a devastating blow to the Carradine family.
I would not trust anything that comes out from the crack Bangkok Police force vis a vis David Carradine’s death. The whole thing sounds pretty fishy if the early reports are true–at the very least it sounds far more like an unfortunate accident than a deliberate suicide.
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regardless, it’s a sad loss–after Kill Bill I was hoping we’d see more Carradine goodness on the screen. I guess it doesn’t really matter how he died but I know I’d feel better if he was found in the center of a pile of dead ninja.
I tend to agree with Bill. One of my first toughts, when reading that he died by hanging *in an armoir* was that a suicide in that manner was a bit unusual. Most hanging suicides do it in an open part of the room. Now, people who die from auto-erotic asphyxition, however, often *are* found in a closet. Mostly becasue they feel shame about the act and are “hiding” from discovery.
This is not to say that this is what happened in Caradine’s case. But, it was the first thougt that popped into my head
I hate to admit it, but not only did it occur to me, but I wrote an entire graf initially speculating that that was what happened and posted it. But it just came across as–I dunno–a little unseemly to speculate. So I went back and deleted it, figuring other people would bring it up. And now news reports are lending credence to the notion.
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Yeah, the reports are getting more detailed – maybe too detailed – and it is sounding more like an accident.
Either way, I feel for the family. Finding him “in the center of a pile of dead ninja” would probably be easier to explain to the younger members of the family.
Must admit I was shocked to see it in the morning papers over here (UK) that the rope was around his neck and, erm, nether-regions… yup, certainly sounds more like an accident to me…
I had not heard about Eddings yet. How sad.
I just heard about Carradine. I didn’t know about Eddings. I thought I’d read something by him but it doesn’t appear I have, which makes me feel a bit bad for some reason.
And yeah, something doesn’t sit right with me about Carradine’s death. I’m sure we’ll learn more in the coming days.
Caradine’s performance in Kill Bill is absolutely fantastic. And to think, it was almost Warren Beatty. Completely different movie. But the best thing about Bill is Vol 1 is you never see his face so he becomes this gigantic menace so when he pops up in the opening of Vol. 2 almost casually it’s crazy powerful.
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I haven’t bought the Kill Bill movies yet, because I’ve been waiting years for the long-rumoured complete single edition, which I’m not sure may ever come. Maybe I’ll pick it up finally as a memorial.
David Eddings was the first fantasy author I read as a teen and they really stuck with me since.
It was a very sad morning when I read of his death.
David Carradine became a bit of local colour in Toronto while he was shooting Kung Fu:The Legend Continues here.
I wondered how long David Eddings would survive his wife, Leah. They always seemed to be two of a kind.
Everything I’ve heard about David Carradine’s death is that it was a fatal accident that happened when he was performing auto-erotic axphyxiation. I hope that this may serve as a cautionary tale so that anyone performing any sort of dangerous sexual activity has someone around to help if things go wrong. It may have been private, it may have potentially mortifying, but that’s not nearly as bad as what could happen — or, in David Carradine’s case, what *did* happen.
Yeah, I mean, if you’re a famous actor, in Bangkok, and you can’t find a friendly høøkër willing to be your spotter…
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Well, at least he guaranteed that his death will be remembered for a long long time.
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I’ll miss him. It’s doubtful that he would ever have gotten a rol as good as Bill again, or even just a monologue as great as his “superman” riff, but he was one of a kind. I’m going to go rewatch Circle of Iron again at the first opportunity (terrible movie but terrible in a very rewatchable way.)
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(And the actor who played master Han in Enter the Dragon just died as well. It’s a good thing that Death fears Chuck Norris or he’d be looking over his shoulder as well.)
Count me among the many who were fans of Carradine’s work, thanks to that of “Kung Fu”. Thankfully, because of DVD’s I’ll be able to watch and rewatch his work again.
Let’s not forget though his other excellent work, both as a Younger brother in “The Long Riders'” and his performance as Woody Guthrie in the Oscar nominated best picture, “Bound For Glory”.
I don’t remember, did he receive a Best Acting nomination for that as well?
Nope, he never got an Oscar nomination.
This David’s week wasn’t nearly as lousy as the man who created The Belgariad nor the lengendary Kwai Chang Kane/Frankenstein/McQuade/Bill. My condolences to their families and fellow fans.
I never read David Eddings work .
Any reccomendations ?
The series The Belgariad and The Malloreon are my favorite work by him. I just loved the characters, I will probably go back and reread them soon.
Gary:
I cannot recommend the Elenium trilogy strongly enough. In order, the books are The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight and The Sapphire Rose.
There’s a sequel trilogy afterwards called the Tamuli, which consist of Domes Of Fire, The Shining Ones and The Hidden City.
Get thee to a library! 🙂
Thanks everybody for the reccomendations.
I will get right on it.